Ride London Surrey: Road closures, route and best places to watch in 2019

The RideLondon race, which passes through Surrey each year, was launched as part of the Olympic legacy (Image: Gareth Davies)

Sign up to FREE email alerts from SurreyLive - daily

When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they’ll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. OurPrivacy Noticeexplains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time.

The annual cycling event, created as a legacy of the 2012 London Olympics, returns in August with separate amateur and professional races.

The route will tour Surrey's towns and villages including Walton, Weybridge, Ripley, Dorking and Leatherhead, with spectators able to line the route, and refreshment stops and technical support for competitors dotted along it.

SurreyLivehas put together a complete guide to the 2019 event with all the information you need, whether you are cheering them on or you just want to know when roads will be shut.

Saturday, August 3 sees the FreeCycle, Brompton World Championship and Classique events take place, all of which are London-based. The FreeCycle is an opportunity for casual cyclists to ride through London's streets without any traffic.

The Brompton World Championship Final is an eight-lap race around London landmarks, and the Classique is a team-based 3.4km circuit in London ridden by professionals.

Route

The Ridelondon-Surrey 100 starts at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford. It heads south to Poplar then west, parallel to the Thames, to Embankment, along The Mall to Buckingham Palace.

The route goes west through Hammersmith then south to Richmond Park and on to Kingston.

The route enters Surrey at East Molesey and goes through Walton, Weybridge, Byfleet, Ripley, East Horsley and East Clandon to Newlands Corner.

Young supporters cheer on cyclists at Newlands Corner in 2017 (Image: Catarina Demony)

From here it follows the A25 to Abinger Hammer then through villages in a downwards loop via Holmbury St Mary, Forest Green and Leith Hill to rejoin the A25.

The route goes east to Dorking then on to Box Hill, Headley and then Leatherhead, before heading north through Oxshott to Esher. It then passes through Thames Ditton and Kingston, then on to Wimbledon and Battersea Park.

The finishing line is on The Mall.

The 46 route follows the first 27 miles of the 100 route then follows a new two-mile route before joining the last 17 miles of the 100 route. The 19 route takes in the final 19 miles of the 100 route, starting at Sandown Park.

Surrey road closures: Sunday, August 4

As well as the road closures in the morning for the amateur 100 and 46 events, there will be short-term, rolling road closures in place in some areas for the professional race in the afternoon.

The details listed below are for the longer-term closures for the amateur events.

Hampton Court Bridge: 5.45am to midday.

Hampton Court Way (46 event only): 10am to midday

A350 through Hurst Park and Walton: 5am to midday

A317 from Oatlands Drive to Church Street, Weybridge: 5am to midday

B374 Weybridge to Byfleet: 5am to midday

RideLondon cyclists in West Byfleet in 2018 (Image: Andre Langlois)

A245 Byfleet to West Byfleet: 5am to 12.30pm

B367 from Oakcroft Road, West Byfleet to Newark Lane, Ripley: 5am to 12.30pm/12.45pm

Rose Lane, Pyrford to Ripley Lane, West Horsley: 5am to 12.45pm/1pm

A246 from West Horsley to Clandon Crossroads: 5am to 1pm

A25 from Clandon to Abinger Hammer: 5am to 2pm

*A25 is reopened to Abinger Hammer for local traffic only via Trodds Lane. A25 remains closed eastbound at the junction with A248 to prevent through traffic reaching the A25 closure at Abinger Hammer.

Best places to watch

Thousands of people turn out in Surrey to watch the amateur and professional cyclists take part in the rides.

Whether you want to be in the thick of the atmosphere or find a quieter spot to watch the action, SurreyLivehas some suggestions for the best places to set up.

Walton town centre

Near the start of the Surrey stretch of the 100 route, Walton should welcome cyclists when they're still full of energy.

The crossroads junction of Church Street, High Street, Hepworth Way and Bridge Street is a popular place to stand and watch the competitors race through.

Cyclists making their way through Walton in 2017 (Image: Tom Smurthwaite)

Monument Green, Weybridge

It's likely to be a lively atmosphere at this stage of the route with live radio broadcasts and an artisan food and craft market.

Gomshall

A quieter stretch than the section at Dorking that follows it, this small village might afford a bit more elbow room, and with the beautiful Compasses Inn lining the route, you can enjoy a refreshing drink in a picturesque location.

Dorking town centre

The narrow streets of Dorking make for a frantic section of the race for competitors and it means some thrilling action for spectators.

West Street is a particularly snug section of the A25 where you'll witness a sea of bobbing helmets pushing themselves on, as people line up outside the pubs and shops, cheering and playing music.

Supporters of disability awareness charity Scope cheering on their cyclists in Dorking in 2018 (Image: UGC)

Box Hill

If you want to see the best cyclists competing on one of the toughest parts of the course, Box Hill is the place to be. The professionals will complete five loops of Box Hill, climbing the notoriously tough Zig Zag Road on each occasion.

A big screen will be set up so you can watch the action while you wait for them to reach you, and a series of cycling activities for spectators will be available to try.

Esher Business Guild is promising a festival atmosphere in the High Street with the Esher High Street Festival. This is right near the end of the route so cyclists will need all the encouragement they can get to push through the final few miles.

A big screen will also be set up here, and stalls will be offering everything from beer and bike accessories to coffee and cake, plus facepainting for the kids.